Laryngoscope



April 21, 1970 A. s. LAERDAL ,5

LARYNGOSCOPE Filed Feb. 15, 1968 x 2 Sheets-Sheet} FIG.1

INVENTOR Asmund 5 5. Laerolal W fifi Aiforneys April 21, 1970 A. s. L'AERDAL LARYNGOSCOPE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 15. 1968 FIG. 2

FIG.4

A smund. S. Iii (iii amen & gtameys 7 United States Patent 3,507,272 LARYNGOSCOPE Asmund S. Laerdal, Tanke Svilands gate 30, Stavanger, Norway Filed Feb. 15, 1968, Ser. No. 705,745 Claims priority, applicaifiogoltllorway, Feb. 18, 1967,

Int. Cl. A61b 1/06, 1/26; F211 7/00 US. Cl. 128-16 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to laryngoscopes and more particularly to laryngoscopes comprising a handle adapted to contain a battery and a spatula mountable in a working position on the handle and having an electrical lamp which is lit when the spatula is in its working position.

Known laryngoscopes are manufactured from metal and have the spatula pivotally mounted on the handle so as to be movable into, and out of, the working position. The handle includes contacts fixedly mounted thereon and co-operating contacts on the spatula are connected to a lamp within the spatula by conductors arranged in a tube of an expensive construction. These laryngoscopes suffer from the disadvantages that they are diflicult to clean; that the contact members readily become moist during cleaning, thus rendering them useless; that the spatula of the laryngoscope must always be mounted-in from one specific side of the handle; and that the metal construction makes it difiicult to view the tongue and the inner part of the larynx of the patient.

It is an object of this invention, to provide an improved laryngoscope which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and disassembled for cleaning without damage to the electrical contacts.

According to this invention, there is provided a laryngoscope comprising a handle adapted to receive a battery therein, a spatula for insertion in a patients mouth, and co-operating means on the handle and spatula whereby the latter may be removably secured to the handle from either of two opposite sides thereof, the spatula having, as a unit removable therefrom, a lamp holder, electrical leads to such holder and a pair of contacts associated with said leads, and the handle having three contacts, arranged so that, when a battery is fitted in the holder, a first one of said contacts is electrically connected to one pole of the battery and the other two contacts are both electrically connected to the other pole of the battery, the positioning of the contacts on said handle and spatula relatively to the said co-operating means on the handle and spatula being such that, when the spatula is fitted on the handle from one side thereof, the pair of contacts of the spatula engage respectively with the said first contact of the handle and one of said other two contacts thereof, while, when the spatula is fitted on the handle from the other side thereof, the pair of contacts of the spatula engage respectively with the said first contact of the handle and the other of said other two contacts thereof.

In the laryngoscope according to this invention, the

3,507,272 Patented Apr. 21, 1970 spatula can, by means of the described contact arrangement, be mounted on the handle from both sides with automatic lighting of the lamp and the laryngoscope may be disassembled for cleaning by removing the spatula from the handle, and the unit comprising the lamp holder, leads and associated contacts from the spatula.

According to a further feature of the invention, the spatula contacts comprise two angled plates, separated by insulation and cast in an insulating material so that part of each plate is exposed to provide a contact surface.

This construction of spatula contacts ensures a satisfactory sliding engagement with the contacts of the handle and consequently a good contact. In this way, the flickering of the light which often takes place in known laryngoscopes, is avoided.

Advantageously, according to a further feature of the invention, at least the forward part of the spatula is formed from a transparent material. The material used is preferably a plastics material. Use of a transparent material ensures that the patients tongue may be completely and clearly viewed. Also the remaining non-conducting parts of the laryngoscope, particularly the handle, are preferably manufactured from plastics material. Manufacture of the handle from a plastics material ensures that unintentional discharge of the battery is to a considerable extent avoided, so that the working life of the battery is increased.

The spatula is preferably manufactured from a soft plastics material which does not damage the upper teeth of the patient during insertion in the mouth (when a metal spatula is used, the teeth are frequently damaged). By inserting a folded lint bandage between the teeth and the metal spatula, such damage may be avoided. However, insertion of this kind involves a loss of time and furthermore viewing is detrimentally influenced.

Advantageously, according to a still further feature of the invention, the said co-operating means on the spatula and handle comprises a hook-like recess in the spatula and a pin mounted on the handle and adapted to be received in said recess, such pin having an enlarged portion which locks the spatula on the handle and being axially displaceable against a resilient biasing to retract the enlarged portion to enable the pin to be engaged in, and disengaged from, said recess. This feature provides for rapid mounting of the spatula on the handle, or removal therefrom.

The laryngoscope according to the invention has the additional advantage that, when the contacts become worn, it is not necessary to change the entire spatula, but merely to replace the part carrying the contacts by another part.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one embodiment of laryngoscope according to the invention given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of this embodiment of laryngoscope, the spatula of the laryngoscope being shown in the working position;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the handle of the laryngoscope, with the closure cap of the handle removed, the elevation being taken from the opposite side of the handle from the view of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is another side elevation of the handle but with the handle turned through as compared with its position in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along the line IV-IV of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the contact part of the laryngoscope.

The illustrated laryngoscope according to the invention consists substantially of a handle or grip 1, which contains a battery 2, and of a spatula 10 removably mountable on the grip 1. Provided at the upper end of the handle 1 is a securing fork having a transverse bore in which a pin or bolt 15 is secured for the purpose of engaging and disengaging the spatula 10. Associated with the battery 2 are three contacts 3, 4 and 5, i.e. a central contact 4 of one polarity and two contacts of the opposite polarity disposed one each side thereof. The provision of three contacts in this way, enables the spatula to be engageable on the handle from either side thereof. When the spatula is engaged as shown in FIGURE 1 conductors 20 and 21 in a part 6 associated with the spatula engage the contacts 5 and 4 respectively of the handle, while when the spatula is engaged on the handle from the opposite side thereof, the conductors 20 and 21 will engage the contacts 3 and 4 respectively. The conductors 20 and 21 of the spatula are provided by angled plates which are separated from each other by insulating means 22 and are cast in a member which is also of angular form, such member comprising the part 6 previously referred to and a part 7 extending upwardly from one end of the part 6. The member formed by the parts 6 and 7 is removably connected to the spatula by fitting into a resilient snap seating on the spatula. Outwardly from the part 7 at a position remote from the part 6, but in the same direction as the latter projects, extends a tube 8 which carries leads connected to the conductors 20 and 21 and at the forward end of which a lamp holder 9 is attached.

Formed in the forward portion of the spatula 10 is an aperture 11 to provide access to the lamp holder 9 for fitting a lamp therein or removing a lamp therefrom. The spatula itself is manufactured from a transparent material, preferably a plastic material, so that, in addition to low weight, it has the advantage that the tongue may be observed without difficulty.

The pin has at one end a head 13 and at the other end a thickened portion 16 provided with two oppositelyextending conical pins 17. That limb of the securing fork in which the thickened portion 16 is to be received, i.e. the lefthand limb as viewed in FIGURE 3, has therethrough in the wall defining the transverse bore through the limb two diametrically opposed grooves 18 of a size which will pass the pins 17. At the outer face of the limb the bore has in its wall two further grooves 18' arranged at positions angularly spaced 90 from the grooves 18, these grooves 18' extending only part way through the limb. The other limb of the securing fork, i.e. the righthand limb as viewed in FIGURE 3, has its transverse bore of a size to pass the portion 16 of the pin 15, but not the head 13 thereof. The inner end of such transverse bore is reduced to provide a shoulder against which a spring 14 on the pin 15 adjacent the head 13 may bear.

To fit the pin 15 in the transverse bore in the securing fork, this pin is introduced from the righthand side as viewed in FIGURE 3 and the pins 17 are pushed through the longitudinal grooves 18 until they emerge from the lefthand ends of these grooves. In this condition, the spring 14 is compressed between said shoulder and the head 13. The pin 15 is then rotated so that the conical pins 17 move away from the grooves 18 to a position registering with the grooves 18' and the pin is released. The spring 14 then acts to move the pin to the right as viewed in FIGURE 3 and the pins 17 are drawn into the groove 18'. The part of the spatula adapted to be fitted to the handle has, as shown, a hook like recess for receiving the pin 15. At each end, this recess is provided with an enlargement capable of receiving the thickened portion 16. The mouth to the recess however, cannot pas the portion 16. To engage the spatula 10 on the handle, the pin 15 is displaced inwardly, i.e. to the left as viewed in FIGURE 13, by pressure on its head 13 against the force of the spring 14 until the portion 16 is within the lefthand limb of the fork. The pin 15 is than engaged in the recess in the spatula and the pressure on the head 13 released so that the spring 14 moves the pin 15 to the right and the thickened portion 16 engages in said enlargement at the appropriate end of the hook-like recess in the spatula and the spatula thereby becomes locked against unintentional removal from the pin 15. To release the spatula 10, it is merely necessary once again to press the pin 15 inwardly. p

For cleaning purposes, the described laryngoscope may readily be disassembled. Thus, the patula may be removed from the handle; the pin 15 may be removed from the handie by pushing the head 13 inwardly and rotating the pin 15 to bring the pins 17 into registration with the grooves 18; and the angular member formed by parts 6 and 7 may be removed, with the contact plates 20 and 21 and the tube 8, from the spatula. The spatula can then be cleaned, without any danger of harmful moistening of the contacts.

The spatula 10 is preferably manufactured from a'soft plastics material and is transparent, so as to improve viewing. The tube 8 leading to the lamp forms" a reinforcement of the spatula, so that this has sufficient strength respite the use of soft plastics material.

The handle 1, including the fork for receiving the spatula may also be manufactured from a plastics material. The battery 2 is preferably received by a metal sleeve (not shown in detail) within the handle, the sleeve having an upper lid formed with a central bore through which contact 4 extends, the two contacts 3 and 5 being secured in electrically conductive relationship to the sleeve. Arranged internally on a closure cap at the bottom of the handle 1 is a spring 19 having a spiral and a helical part. The spring 19 has a double function; on the one hand, it establishe a conducting connection between the lower contact of the battery 2 via the metal sleeve with the contacts 3 and 5 and, on the other hand, it provides for the springing of the contacts 3, 4 and 5.

I claim:

1. A iaryngoscope comprising: a handle; a two-pole battery received in a space in said housing; a first electrical contact on said handle electrically connected to one pole of said battery; second and third electrical contacts on said handle both electrically connected to the other pole of said battery; a spatula for insertion in a patients mouth; co-operating means on the handle and spatula for mounting the spatula removably on the handle, said means being constructed so that the spatula can be mounted on the handle from either of two opposite sides thereof; a lamp holder in the spatula; electrical leads to such holder; and two contacts associated one with each of said leads, said lamp holder, leads and two contacts forming a unitary structure removably mounted in the spatula, the contacts on said handle and spatula being positioned relatively to the said co-operating means on the handle and spatula to cause engagement of the contacts of the spatula respectively with said first contact on the handle and said second contact on the handle when the spatula is mounted on the handle from one side thereof and to cause engagement of the contacts of the spatula respectively with said first contact on the handle and said third contact on the handle when the spatula is mounted on the handlefrom the other side thereof.

2. The laryngoscope specified in claim 1 and including a first angled plate having a contact surface forming one of said two spatula contacts, a second angled plate having a contact surface forming the other of said two spatula contacts and located adjacent said first plate, insulation between said contacts and a cast insulating material around said plates and insulation, but leaving said contact surfaces exposed.

3. The laryngoscope specified in claim 1 in which said spatula has a rearwardly opening recess into which said unitary structure is received.

4. The laryngoscope specified in claim 3 in which said unitary structure includes a tube through which said leads pass, such tube carrying the lamp holder at its forward end and extending from the rear of the spatula to the forward part thereof and forming a reinforcement for the spatula.

5. The laryngoscope specified in claim 1, in which the spatula has a forward part formed from a transparent material.

6. The laryngoscope specified in claim 1, in which said co-operating means on the spatula and handle comprise a pin on the handle, a hook-like part on the spatula constructed to hook over said pin from either of opposite sides thereof, an enlarged portion on said pin locking the spatula thereon, said pin being axially displaceable to move the said enlarged portion from said spatula for release thereof, and resilient biassing means tending to hold the pin in its position in which it locks the s on the handle.

Pamla 15 240 2.1s, 10.67

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,354,471 7/1944 Macintosh 12810 2,646,036 7/1953 Allyn et al. l286 2,648,329 8/1953 Morch 128-41 FOREIGN PATENTS 806,467 12/ 1958 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner J. B. MITCHELL, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

